Westboro Gallery

Until 2013 this was the website for the Westboro Gallery, an artists' cooperative.
Content is from the site's 2010 - 2013 archived pages.

The gallery is permanently closed.

Westboro Gallery
8 West Main St.
Westborough, MA

The Westboro Gallery, which has been honored as Boston Magazine's "2008 Best of Boston Home Award in recognition of quality and excellence," presents works by established and talented emerging Central New England artists and artisans. Since 1998 the not-for-profit cooperative's mission has been to bring art to the community and to support its members, enabling them to show and sell their work. The gallery also sponsors a high school art scholarship and presents occasional cultural and educational events for the public.

The gallery's intimate space displays unique works in a variety of mediums including: painting, collage, photography, pastel, monotype, mixed media, etching, sculpture, ceramic, and jewelry. The collection of work encompasses a diversity of styles ranging from realism to abstract. Prices range from $3 to $3000.

Westboro Gallery exhibitions change every 3 months and include a featured artist while also displaying the work of the core artists.

The gallery has a satellite location at Tatnuck Bookseller & Cafe, 19 Lyman St. (a large dedicated exhibition space) where art is shown and may be purchased. The Westboro Gallery and the exhibition space at Tatnuck Bookseller & Café, both are wheelchair accessible, with parking at the door.

The board of directors examines portfolios and works of those wishing to be juried in for membership at its monthly meetings.

NEWS

March 6, 2013: Westboro Gallery Closing

After fifteen years as a mainstay of the local art community, The Westboro Gallery will be closing its doors on March 30, 2013. Join us for a closing reception on Saturday, March 23rd from 2-5pm as we say goodbye to our beloved gallery. Take advantage of this final chance to purchase pieces from some of your favorite local artists. The reception is open to the public and refreshments, wine and hors d'oeuvres will be served. Artwork will be available for sale during regular business hours Wednesday through Sunday throughout March only until March 23rd. Then, during the last week of March, many of the fixtures inside the gallery will be for sale, including art bins, shelving units, card racks, office supplies, and many other items.

Over the years, the not-for-profit gallery has been a vibrant part of Westboro’s cultural community, showcasing talented area artists and artisans featuring a variety of mediums. The gallery also sponsored an annual high school art award to recognize talented teens from the area.

Artwork will be for sale at The Westboro Gallery until March 23-Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Friday and Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sundays, from 12 to 3 p.m. During the week of March 24th, fixtures (but not art) will be for sale Monday- Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. It can be reached at (508) 870-0110.

An aside: This was a favorite gallery I would make a point to visit whenever I was in the Worcester area of Massachusettes. I work for a progressive software development firm trusted by leaders of high-growth companies to build their products and automate their processes, enabling them to achieve unprecedented efficiency. I am a Salesforce implementation developer who fully customizes a business's or organiztions Salesforce implementation to help improve their processes and workflows, and accelerate and optimize sales. My work helps company's make a successful intial Salesforce launch as well as help relaunch a Salesforce implementation. My job is to make Salesforce work for a business from day one. I travel to consult with clients. It's a shame the gallery closed. Fortunately, as I have since learned, there are a number of interesting galleries and museums in the surrounding towns around Worcester, as well as in the Worcester itself.

Westboro Gallery closes shop after 15 years

By Community Advocate Staff
April 5, 2013
By Ed Karvoski Jr., Contributing Writer

Westborough – The downtown shop at 8 West Main St. has been the home of Westboro Gallery for 15 years. At its monthly meeting Feb. 21, the 22 members of the artists” cooperative discussed options to resolve recent financial struggles, but then they unanimously voted to close after hosting a final reception March 23.

The announcement was circulated by a press release from Holly Kenny, a lampwork artist who has been a member for five years and the communications director the past four.

“It was a decision that was not taken lightly; it was the last resort for us,” Kenny said.

“With the economy the way it's been the last few years, we never made a killing as a gallery, but we made enough to do what our goals had always been: to have a place that brought artists together, where we could display and sell our work in a setting that was conducive to expanding our skills.”

Prior to that meeting, board members met with the town's Economic Development Committee and shared ideas to reach out to the community.

“The committee was very supportive of the ideas that we brought to the table,” Kenny said. “We all brainstormed for the last several months and tried to think of everything we could to keep the gallery alive. One of the options was displaying art in existing storefronts at Bay State Commons, and then people could be referred back to the gallery. The committee was willing to work with us in the future; it's just that we were running out of time. Basically, it came down to us being able to stay afloat financially. This past year it got harder and harder for us to hang in there.”

Westboro Gallery was founded in 1998 by Terre Bacharz, a local art teacher. The cooperative recognized the artistic talents of area high school students with an annual award, which was named after the gallery's founder.

In 2002, members formed a board of directors to oversee the cooperative. In addition to Kenny, the board members at the time of the closing were Nancy van Hone and Ellen Tro, co-managing directors; Joel Tro, display director; Shari Fox, membership director; Bill Lewis, graphics director; and Jeff Butler, member at large.

“The board of directors was the managing group that oversaw things, but all of our members were responsible for running the gallery,” Kenny explained. “All the members took part in the ownership. Monthly dues would basically cover the rent and operating expenses. We set it up so that a percentage of the sales would go to the gallery and a percentage would go to the artist. In addition to that, each member was expected to perform certain duties to keep the business running. Most of the artists were local – Westborough, Shrewsbury, Northborough, Hopkinton, Upton – close enough where they could still participate in the co-op and fulfill the requirements.”

Kenny believes the Westboro Gallery offered the town a unique shopping experience.

“As far as a full-fledged gallery, there's not anything else like it in town,” she said. “We didn's have just wonderful oil paintings, prints, acrylics and other types of paintings; we also had pottery, woodworking, sculpture, glasswork, jewelry, paper art and mixed media. It covered a real breadth of work, and the price range was nice, too. Our prices ranged from $15 and up. I think it's going to be a loss for the community.”

The artists are still considering options.

“We'se looking into the possibly of a virtual gallery, where people can look at the art and then contact the artists directly,” Kenny added.

CIRCA 2010

2010 Current Exhibitions

Phragments & Pheathers

Joel Tro and Jeff Butler

May 16 to August 2, 2010

Opening reception: May 16, 2010, 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM

What's in a name? Plenty, if the title of the Westboro Gallery's newest exhibition is any indication. Phragments & Pheathers the brainchild of artists Joel Tro and Jeff Butler, is a must-see exhibition like no other. Tro uses "phragments" of found objects and scraps of woods and metals to create his captivating three-dimensional assemblages, while Butler masterfully transforms wood and other materials into his detailed "pheathered" bird sculptures and other unique pieces.

The exhibit will be on display from May 16 through August 2, 2010. An opening reception for the show will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, May 16th, in the gallery, just off the rotary at 8 W. Main St. The reception is open to the public and light refreshments will be served. Artwork by the 2010 Therese M. Bacharz Award winner also will be on display at the gallery.

While both artists frequently work in wood, each expresses himself in a different and unique way, often through the addition of other mediums, such as brass, steel and other metals and plastics.

Inspiration for Mr. Butler's pieces is typically drawn from one of two sources. "Sometimes I have simply seen a bird in a pose or scene that appeals to me just as it would to a photographer or painter. Other times I find a limb or split piece of wood and know that it's the head, neck and body of a heron or the leg and foot [ with all its toes ] of a Jacana. Once it was the root of a sapling, obviously the entire foot of a bird of prey. Just which bird of prey was arbitrary, size was the only limitation." Extraordinary detail and craftsmanship can be found in pieces such as "Blackburnian Warbler" (basswood, brass, acrylic) and Yellow Crowned Night Heron” (pine, applewood, acrylic).

A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, Jeff Butler has been with the Westboro Gallery since 2002, and has served as the gallery's Facilities Director since 2006. Before that, he was a founding member of Redwing Gallery in Worcester. His work has been featured in the National Decoy Show in New York as well as the Ward Foundation World Championship Carving Competition in Maryland. Butler's wood carvings were depicted in "Championship Carving," the illustrated text of wildfowl art by Tricia Veasey and Tom Johnson.

Butler and Tro seem to share a similar bold sense of vision. In discussing the vision behind his technique, Tro says, "I enjoy discovering time-worn scrap materials rich with traces of earlier uses and transforming them without changing them." Many of Tro's pieces reflect his love of art deco and Native American design, as evidenced by his "Dream Catcher" wood assemblage and also the standout metal assemblage, "Metallica."

Joel Tro received his BFA from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, and also holds a degree from the New York School of Interior Design. He began his art career as a freelance designer, and went on to work for Golding Industries in Manhattan. He later became the Design Director for Leshner Corporation in New York City, where he managed his own studio and organized and scheduled designs in both original art and production across the United States and Europe.

Tro's work has been exhibited in many juried shows and galleries across New England, including the Northboro Artists’ Guild, the Danforth Museum in Framingham, and Allure Gallery in Westboro, and Greenville, New York. Tro has been active with the Westboro Gallery since 2006, and currently serves as Display Director for the Board of Directors. He is also a member of the Cultural Arts Alliance in Hopkinton.

Drawing the Light

Dave Kaphammer

March 7 to June 2, 2010

Opening reception: March 7, 2010, 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM

On Sunday, March 7th, 2010, The Westboro Gallery will celebrate the opening of its latest show, Drawing the Light, by pastel artist Dave Kaphammer. An opening reception will be held from 2-5pm at the gallery’s satellite space at Tatnuck Bookseller and Café, 18 Lyman Street in Westboro. The reception is open to the public and light refreshments will be served. The exhibit will be on display at Tatnuck Bookseller from March 7 through June 2, 2010.

Mr. Kaphammer’s portfolio covers a breadth of subjects—from spectacular New England scenes such as the verdant hillsides of Pomfret, Connecticut and the storm-churned water of Casco Bay in Maine—to the quiet calm of Institute Park in Worcester.

The artist’s paintings also span all seasons, and he is equally adept at capturing the rich, vibrant hues of a brisk fall day and the bitter cold of a gently trodden snowfall, as evidenced by “Autumn on the Pond” and “Red Path at Twilight”. Other works reflect the time Dave Kaphammer spent out west; “Foothills Color”, for instance, captures perfectly the illusive interface between the mountains and plains in Colorado, while “High Mountain Shack” and “Hall Ranch Shadows” show the brilliant high country light and evergreen forests.

A resident of Westboro, Dave Kaphammer has been drawing all his life. His formal art education started at the Worcester Art Museum, where he studied still life, portrait, and figure drawing. He was finally drawn to pastel painting by Ella Delyanis, a well known pastel painter and teacher at the Museum. Pastels were a perfect medium to begin painting with color while maintaining the intimate feel of drawing. Working mainly from his own photographs, the artist explores the local landscape, looking for scenes to use as inspiration for paintings. He uses color and light to create an inviting depiction of a place that makes the viewer wish to step into the frame. Looking at the world with this idea in mind makes it more beautiful and interesting, and the artist hopes to bring that same feeling to the viewer and collector. According to the artist, “my idea is to see the magic and beauty in places and scenes that most people pass by without noticing, and bring it to life in pastel painting”. And through his unique use of color and pigment, Kaphammer’s scenes—whether they are realistic portraitures or lush, green landscapes—do indeed seem to “come alive” and jump off the canvas, inviting the observer to linger for a moment and get lost in the scene.

Dave Kaphammer also has studied pastel painting with Gretchen Acharya in Boulder Colorado, and Jeanne Smith of Sudbury Massachusetts. He has had several successful solo shows at Booklovers’ Gourmet in Webster Massachusetts. He has participated in juried shows at the Post Road Art Center in Marlborough where he recently won the People's Choice Award, and is currently a member of the Westboro Gallery. His art is currently exhibited at the Westboro Gallery and Tatnuck Booksellers in Westborough. To learn more about Dave Kaphammer and his art, visit: /www.davekaphammerart.com/index.php

News

October 20, 2012, Westboro Gallery Hosts 'Reflections of Nature'

September 20, 2012, Ian Tink's exhibit featured in Boston Globe

July 27, 2012, Westboro Exhibit let's viewers 'find their own story'

July 25, 2012, Dominicanos! new photography exhibit, features the faces of the Dominican Republic

April 13, 2012, Vitale's phots are also a 'journey': Northboro artist's exhibit opens Sunday in Westborough

September 3, 2010, Artist Doug DeWolfe profiled in Westborough News
By Kelleigh Welch/Staff writer
GateHouse News Service
Posted Sep 03, 2010
WESTBOROUGH —
When Doug DeWolfe graduated from UMass Amherst with a degree in landscape architecture, he never expected to showcase his watercolor paintings 25 years later.
It wasn’t that DeWolfe had never painted before, in fact he said he grew up surrounded by art, as his father and grandfather were both artists, focusing with oil paintings, in Sweden. He painted throughout his childhood, experimenting with various mediums, and even minored in visual arts in college, but turned in his paintbrushes to focus on his landscaping and stonemason business, New View Inc., located in Hopkinton. It wasn’t until he took a watercolor class that he started to paint again, this time focusing on watercolor.
Until Sept. 11, DeWolfe is showcasing an exhibit at the Westboro Gallery’s satellite exhibit space at the Tatnuck Bookseller and Café on Lyman St. The collection of paintings ranges from seascapes, to farms, boats or rivers, and capture the personality of the artist.
But DeWolfe never really gave up art while he started his business. For DeWolfe, art is everywhere, and his role in landscaping and stonemasonry is just as artistic as his paintings.
“People don’t always know art when they see it,” DeWolfe said. “Just because you don’t put your work in a frame or gallery, it doesn’t mean it’s not art.”
DeWolfe described some of his designs while landscaping, excited especially over his current project on a swimming pool.
“For 25 years I’ve been building that business and it’s very artistic in a different way,” DeWolfe said. “Then three years ago I took a class at the Worcester Art Museum with Bill Griffiths, and he hooked me back in (to painting).”
DeWolfe explained he takes the course each winter because that is the time when business is slow and gives him the ability to focus on his work.
“I like watercolors because they’re challenging and mathematical,” DeWolfe said. “You have to have a strategy. With other mediums, if you make a mistake you can go back and fix it, but with watercolors you can’t. Basically what you’re doing is playing with a puddle of water and the technique is to make it go the way you want it to.”
While discussing his individual painting, DeWolfe pointed out the various tools and tricks he used to get the painting to look a certain way. For example, to add white to a rope in one painting, DeWolfe scratched the color out with a razorblade. In another painting, the texture of the tree bark was done by applying salt to the area while the painting was still wet, and scraping it off after it dried, leaving a cracked, multi-shade look.
He also described the difficulty with layers. With watercolors, in order to classify the work as a watercolor is to only use those paints and graphite. Any white shown in the painting can only be the color of the paper.
To keep certain areas dry and free of color, DeWolfe said he uses a technique called ‘masking,’ which uses a product called frisket that is applied to the areas he wants white. This product acts as a protective seal from water and color, so the artist can paint around it while still keeping the color underneath in tact. Once the paint dries, the frisket can easily be removed, leaving the crisp white color of the paper visible.
The technique is also used to layer different colors in a more complicated work. When working with watercolors, DeWolfe explained that the lightest color must be applied first, followed by layers of darker colors. To keep certain areas of lighter colors exposed, he uses the frisket.
“I’ve even had to take notes to remember where I was,” DeWolfe said. “Sometimes I forget which layer I’m working on, and that’s the mathematics of it.”
DeWolfe said the most difficult thing for him to paint with watercolors is leaves, but he said he is improving. He mentioned that in one painting he had to restart six different times.
“People who know how to do watercolors will stare and try to figure out how I did them (the leaves in his paintings),” DeWolfe said.
Of all subjects, DeWolfe said his favorite to paint is landscapes, however he has painted other subjects. He said most of his inspiration comes from various photographs he finds on the Internet or in magazines, but others come from his imagination or a picture he took himself.
“I have a camera in my truck and I take pictures of anything I find interesting,” DeWolfe said. “What’s nice (about painting) is that a photo doesn’t always show what you want, but with painting you can add things.”
After rediscovering his talent at the Worcester Art Museum, DeWolfe said he found Westboro Gallery, which showcases his work.
“I normally don’t ever do shows,” DeWolfe said. “I don’t like selling them because I don’t get to see them again. It’s better when you know someone who buys the painting because you can visit them.”
Certain paintings were not for sale, at the suggestion of Griffith DeWolfe said.
For more information on DeWolfe, he said to visit his company site www.newviewstone.com, which showcases his paintings, or to visit the Westboro Gallery’s site www.westborogallery.com.

August 15, 2010, Whitinsville Photographer, Bill Lewis, profiled in Milford Daily News
WESTBOROUGH —
By Chris Bergeron/DAILY NEWS STAFF GHS
For a man who fought in two wars, Bill Lewis shoots peaceful photographs of wildlife and natural scenes far removed from human conflict.
He's traveled to Newport, R.I., to photograph sailboats barely visible in the fog and to the Dominican Republic to capture whales crashing through the waves.
He's visited Southwick's Zoo where he photographed a coy giraffe peeking around a corner and vacationed in the barrier islands off the North Carolina coast hoping to photograph wild mustangs racing along Currituck Banks.
And sometimes the 77-year-old Army veteran who served in Korea and Vietnam just relaxes in his Whitinsville backyard and photographs a black-masked cardinal perched in his redbud tree.
"As a photographer, my interest is in landscapes," explained Lewis. "I take my time to look around for something that'll excite my eye."
Visitors to the Westboro Gallery will likely feel that same excitement viewing "New England Scenes," an exhibit of 25 photographs taken by him since 2008.
Lewis has printed several small, square photos on canvas that wraps over its frames' edges to give an added sense of depth to his images of wildlife and natural scenes.
When two other artists helped him hang the show last week, they placed nine photos on canvas in three rows of three images. Since the surface colors seem muted, Lewis's photos of a Bengal tiger, swans and a brilliant sunset appear to be bathed in tropical light.
He said, "It gives the photos a fine arts look. Because they're square, it's like looking through a window. When people see my photos printed on canvas, they always ask, 'Is that a painting?"'
Lewis, who prints and frames his own photos, plans to buy a special machine that will let him print panoramic scenes on canvas up to 8 feet long.
The exhibit will run through Nov. 7 in the artists cooperative and gallery on West Main Street. All photos in the show are for sale.
Largely self-taught, Lewis takes photos that demonstrate a sure eye for uncluttered composition, small but telling details and subtle gradations of color.
Its foreleg frozen mid-step, a young deer pauses at the forest's edge with its ears back and alert black eye gazing toward the camera. As the sun sets over Cape Cod, three tiny boats sail through a band of golden light shimmering on darkening waves. A reproduction of the slave schooner Amistad cruises out of Boston harbor under full sail.
Growing up in Cambridge, Lewis began taking pictures as a teenager after buying a Kodak Brownie camera with money he earned working as a drugstore soda jerk.
He recalled taking some of his first photos of his football teammates and high school parties. "It was a challenge getting it right but I always looked forward to the results. That hasn't changed," he said.
After graduating from Rindge Technical High School, he joined the Army in 1950 and was shipped to Korea where he served as a rifleman with the 25th Division. During an overnight patrol in a mountainous region nicknamed the "Punch Bowl," Lewis suffered frostbitten fingers and toes and was evacuated to a hospital in Japan.
While recuperating in Osaka, Japan, he bought a high quality Zenobia viewfinder camera and "concentrated" on photographing Buddhist temples and landscapes. Lewis credits those experiences for teaching him the fundamental rules for strong composition.
After Korea, Lewis served a total of 18 years in the military until 1968, eventually earning the rank of staff sergeant. He served as a military policeman in Fort Dix, N.J., for two years and spent three years in Germany with the armored infantry. From 1965 through 1968, Lewis served three tours in Vietnam as a door gunner in a helicopter.
While stationed in Pleiku, Vietnam, he bought a Mamiya medium-format camera which he used on special assignments to photograph damaged vehicles.
After receiving an honorable discharge, Lewis married his wife Carol in 1972. They have three children.
While working as a civilian employee at Natick Labs from 1980 to 1996 Lewis renewed his interest in photography by taking courses at Worcester State College, attending workshops in Santa Fe, N.M., and enrolling in a Boston branch of the Rocky Mountain School of Photography.
He estimated he's shown his photographs in about 25 group exhibits over the last several years and won a first prize award in the Massachusetts Audubon Society's wildlife photo contest for his shot of a giraffe at Southwick Farm.
Now retired, Lewis often travels with his wife to the Cape, New Hampshire and the Caribbean to photograph wildlife and outdoor scenes with a high-resolution Canon Mach II digital camera. He described his wife as a devoted companion and helpful photography critic who "drew the line" at riding boats to photograph whales and other ocean scenes.
After taking photos for nearly 60 years, Lewis said he's developed a personal style that aims for a balanced mix of "realism and a fine arts look."
One of the exhibit's most striking images, titled "Just a Few Seconds More," depicts a cowboy riding a bucking bronco in the Marshfield Rodeo.
Rather than focus on the cowboy's efforts to stay in the saddle, Lewis captured the horse's furious bucking that made its braided mane flap like strands of yarn.
"I try to divorce myself from the reality of my subject and just concentrate on what makes an interesting photograph," he said.THE ESSENTIALS:
The Westboro Gallery, 8 West Main St., Westborough, is a not-for-profit artists' cooperative that features works by emerging New England artists in several mediums.
It is open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday and by appointment.

The Westboro Gallery will be holding an Outdoor Art Exhibition and Sale at Hopkinton Stone and Gardens, Inc. on Saturday, May 8th. Artwork by members of the gallery will be on display at the garden center from 8am to 5pm.

Stop by the nursery to choose a special and personal gift of art for Mother’s Day, while also taking advantage of the garden center’s farm overstock sale. Hopkinton Stone and Gardens also will offer one free 1-gallon daylily per family for Mother’s Day Weekend.

A wide range of mediums will be available—from pastel, acrylic and watercolor paintings, to a large selection of framed photographs and lithographs. Unique wood carvings, assemblages and pottery also will be available for purchase, along with handcrafted jewelry, lampworked glass gifts and hand-made greeting cards.

Hopkinton Stone and Gardens is located just off Route 495 (exit 21A) at 32 Lumber Street in Hopkinton, MA. A family-owned and operated nursery and garden center; Hopkinton Stone and Gardens has been in business for more than 13 years. They specialize in quality trees, shrubs and perennials, and offer landscape design and planting services.

The Westboro Gallery presents works by established and talented emerging Central New England artists and artisans. Since 1998 the not-for-profit cooperative’s mission has been to bring art to the community and to support its members, enabling them to show and sell their work.

For more information about the Art Exhibition and Sale, contact The Westboro Gallery at (508) 870-0110 or Hopkinton Stone and Gardens at (508) 435-7376.

Westboro Gallery artist Andy Volpe will present a lecture on Medieval and Renaissance Art and Falconry at Tatnuck Booksellers, 18 Lyman St., Westboro, on Sunday, March 15, 2009 at 1:00 p.m. The program is free and open to the public.

Volpe specializes in pencil drawings and printmaking, his work focusing on raptors (owls, hawks, eagles, and falcons). He'll explain drawing and printing techniques used during the Middle Ages and Renaissance, and will read excerpts from period books on art and artists, such as Cennini's “Il Libro dell' Arte” (“The book about Art”) from the 1430's.

Joining Volpe as a special guest will be “Rulers of the Wind” Raptor educator Larry Keating, who will bring some live raptors and discuss the ancient sport of Falconry (hunting with raptors), which was a major status symbol and sport in Medieval Europe.

Volpe's artwork is displayed and on sale at the Westboro Gallery, 8 W. Main St., Westboro, and its satellite gallery at Tatnuck Booksellers. Volpe is an avid history buff and living historian giving regular presentations at the Higgins Armory Museum in Worcester as a Roman soldier with Legion III Cyrenaica, a 1st century Roman living history group, and with the Company of the Wolfe Argent, a 15th century living history group. Volpe also gives living history presentations to schools and colleges.

Keating is an area science teacher, who also gives live Raptor programs at various venues in the New England region, including Broad Meadow Brook Mass Audubon Sanctuary in Worcester, MA, Rhode Island Audubon Society Raptor Festival, and has also presented at Higgins Armory and Tatnuck Booksellers for an “Owls of Harry Potter” program.

June 2, 2008
The Westboro Gallery (www.westborogallery.com), which has been honored as Boston magazine's “2008 Best of Boston Home Award in recognition of quality and excellence,” presents works by established and emerging Central New England artists and artisans. Since 1998 the not-for-profit cooperative's mission has been to bring art to the community and to support its members, enabling them to show and sell their work Besides sponsoring the high school art scholarship, the gallery presents occasional cultural and educational events for the public both at its home space and its satellite location at Tatnuck Bookseller & Café on Lyman Street.

"Falconry and Art," to be presented from 2 to 3 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 3, will consist in part of a lecture by Julie Collier, a licensed raptor rehabilitator and educator, who will bring live raptors to illustrate her discussion of birds and the medieval sport of falconry (hunting with raptors). Among them will be the kestrel, the smallest falcon used in hunts; the merlin, traditionally a popular falcon of the lower classes; and an incredible golden eagle, a bird used historically only by kings and emperors.

The event will co-feature Andy Volpe, an artist with The Westboro Gallery, who will relate aspects of medieval and renaissance drawing techniques. Together, Collier and Volpe will discuss falconry, its role in medieval culture, and the artwork that helped illustrate the sport.

Julie Collier is a cofounder of Wingmasters (www.wingmasters.net), a state and federally licensed organization which provides educational presentations using real raptors to dozens of schools, museums, and libraries every year throughout New England. Ms. Collier, an experienced pen-and-ink artist, also will bring some of her own work to show.

As a member of The Westboro Gallery, Andy Volpe exhibits works in graphite and in various printmaking techniques ranging from etchings to wood engravings.. “My interest in birds of prey began in childhood while growing up in Sturbridge, but it developed heavily during college,” Volpe says. One of the few non-biology majors at Westfield State College to take a course on ornithology, he graduated cum laude in 2000 with a degree in fine arts, and volunteered at Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine’s Wildlife Clinic for a number of years.

The award-winning artist’s work has been featured in a number of exhibitions and the Grafton resident has given workshops on wildlife art in various educational settings. He has also done a workshop at Higgins Armory Museum, where he is employed part-time as a re-enactor. Volpe does public demonstrations on historical themes at the museum and is currently researching medieval and renaissance drawing and printing techniques.

The Westboro Gallery is observing its seventh year as a cooperative. In celebration, the new summer show will present members’ work throughout the entire space. An opening reception for the exhibit, titled "The Seventh Anniversary Members’ Show," will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, June 2, 2005, at the gallery, 8 West Main St., just off the rotary in downtown Westboro.

Artworks on display will include a variety of media, among them oil paintings, acrylics, watercolors, monotypes, multimedia pieces, woodcarvings and marble sculpture. Artisan works will include ceramics, jewelry, weavings, decorative tiles, and more.

This community of artists was founded in May 1998 by Therese Marino Bacharz in order to foster exhibition and sales opportunities, as well as fellowship. It comprises a blend of talented emerging and professional artists and fine craftspeople from throughout Central New England. A core group of longtime members ensures that the not-for-profit gallery’s mission continues to be achieved, and Mrs. Bacharz currently serves as managing director.

The gallery’s board of directors looks monthly at the works and portfolios of those who would like to be considered for membership. Some slots are now available.

In addition to quarterly opening receptions, The Westboro Gallery hosts related events throughout the year, all of which are open to the public. The next event is a weekend jewelry trunk show titled "Summer Sparkle,’’ scheduled for 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 4 and 5, 2005, and presented by the gallery’s two artisan jewelers.

The anniversary show will remain through Aug. 28, 2005, and the viewing space is handicapped-accessible.

"Mary’s Contrary Garden," an exhibition of computer-enhanced photographs by Mary Harrington, will be the new featured show at The Westboro Gallery March 5 through May 22. An opening reception will be held at the gallery on March 5 at 4:00 – 7:30 p.m, with a snow date of March 12, 2005.

This exhibit, a gentle breath of spring air during a snowy winter, features evocative works created from photo images of flowers growing in the artist’s own garden, as well as that of her mother, an avid gardener. "The New England growing season is just too short, and I love capturing flowers at their peak bloom," she says.

The artistic process begins with a 35 mm Nikon camera fitted with a macro lens. "The macro lens is perfect for photographing flowers. It allows me to get in close, and renders beautiful detail," Ms. Harrington explains. "But I don’t want my artwork to look like a seed catalog," she adds, pointedly. "Using Adobe Photoshop I am able to use the vivid colors and textures of the blooms to create images that can be enjoyed all winter long."

She achieves engagingly unique effects by scanning her images into the computer program, manipulating and enhancing them, and finally, printing the works on art paper. Some pieces are created using both original photos and scans from old periodicals, post cards, vintage portraits, junkyard finds and attic treasures. She often uses Celtic knot designs as a framework for backgrounds created from her photographs. Her work is in a number of private collections.

Mary Harrington earned a B.S. cum laude in Media Communications from Framingham State College and has completed courses in art and design at the Worcester Art Museum. The former copy/photo editor, free-lance writer and magazine photographer was recipient, as a newspaper photographer, of a Massachusetts Press Association Best Spot News Photo award, as well as a Harte Hanks Honorable Mention for best feature photo in the children’s category.

Represented by The Westboro Gallery for the past year and a half, and also a member of Craftworks in Northboro, Ms. Harrington works full time as a communications director for a trade association, has two grown children, and lives in Westboro.

The Westboro Downtown Business Association is sponsoring their second annual Village Stroll on Sunday, November 28, 2004 from 12 noon to 7 PM. The WDBA invites townspeople and residents of neighboring towns to stroll downtown and explore the shops of Westboro. Many downtown businesses will decorate, offer refreshments, demonstrations, discounts, coupons, and lots of holiday spirit. The event takes place the Sunday after Thanksgiving, the same day as the Lighting of the Trees Ceremony, which will be from 5 PM to 7 PM. Last year, the first annual Village Stroll was a great success with at least 2000 people visiting the participating stores and enjoying the Lighting of the Trees.

The WDBA would like people to explore and rediscover the uniqueness of our downtown. Some of the events that day are:

Nor’East Antiques and Vintage Collectibles, two antique dealers, will set up lovely arrangements of antiques and collectibles in the store next to the Westboro Suites building.

The Westboro Package Store will have a wine tasting event the entire day.

The Westboro Gallery will have an opening reception for artist Gloria Carter and her new show called “Explorations” from 3 PM – 6:30 PM that day. Free and refreshments will be served.

Children of The World will have an authentic African Drumming performance from 4 PM – 4:30 PM. Free with refreshments.

Margaret Yan, owner of the new Leon Collectibles store, will offer a free gift with any purchase.

On the same day, The Congregational Church, West Main Street, will have the dedication of the Faith Newark Memorial Organ at 2 PM. Felix Hell, concert artist, will perform. Refreshments will be served, free will offering.

At this time WDBA consists of thirty sponsoring merchants, most of whom will be open on November 28, 2004. Look for posters in shop windows and flyers, with maps and discounts, will be in the downtown stores and distributed at the two Stop and Shops on Sun., Nov. 21, 2004.

Special thanks to The Westboro Savings bank for their generous sponsorship. Look for the red balloons on November 28, come on down, and enjoy the second annual Village Stroll!

November 28, 2004 - February 20, 2004
"Explorations," an exhibit of oil paintings by Gloria Carter, will be featured at The Westboro Gallery Nov. 28 through Feb. 20, 2004. An opening reception with the artist will be held at the gallery, 8 W. Main St., 3:00 - 6:30 p.m. Sunday Nov. 28 to coincide with the second annual Village Stroll, sponsored by The Westboro Downtown Business Association. A snow date for the reception is 4:00 - 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 4, 2004.

Sunday, Oct. 24, 2004, 2 p.m.
A concert by Trio Cantabile is planned in the intimate setting of the gallery. The trio comprises oboist Hope Havens of Shrewsbury and flutists Cam Sowa and Pamela Kapitz, both of Westboro. All have performed professionally at various events as well as with instrumental ensembles and regional symphonies. The program will include pieces from the Baroque and Classical periods, as well as haunting Hungarian and familiar 15th-to-16th-century rounds. This event is also free and open to the public.

Friday, Oct. 15, 2004, 6 p.m.
Andy Volpe will give a talk and demonstration of his printmaking techniques and the technical aspects of his drawing Mr. Volpe is currently the gallery’s featured artist whose body of works entitled "Visions" are on exhibit through Nov. 14, 2004. The artist, of Grafton, has been a volunteer at Tufts Veterinary School for three years. Because much of his subject matter deals with birds of prey, joining him will be a few live raptors, along with their handler, Julie Collier, a licensed raptor rehabilitator and educator, who co-runs Wingmasters (www.wingmasters.net). This event is free and open to adults and children.

Directions

The Westboro Gallery is located in the heart of Westborough, Massachusetts at the intersection of Route 30 (Main Street) and Route 135.